


Icing on the (Strawberry) Cake

by Luxuria_Ira



Category: Crash Pad (2017), Logan Lucky (2017), Star Wars Sequel Trilogy
Genre: Established Relationship, Fluff, Kylux Adjacent Ship, M/M, Marriage Proposal
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-04
Updated: 2020-04-04
Packaged: 2021-02-28 21:14:33
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,635
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23483677
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Luxuria_Ira/pseuds/Luxuria_Ira
Summary: On a rainy night in June, Clyde takes Stensland up into the rolling hills of West Virginia and asks him a question that's been on the tip of his tongue since they met.Aka a shameless fluffy Clydeland proposal for day 4 of Kylux Adjacent Month.
Relationships: Armitage Hux/Kylo Ren, Clyde Logan/Stensland (Crash Pad)
Comments: 9
Kudos: 55
Collections: Into the Adjacentverse: Kylux Adjacents Month 2020





	Icing on the (Strawberry) Cake

_“Clyde,”_ Stensland whines loudly as he trudges up the muddy slope, a few feet behind Clyde. It’s nearly ten o’clock and the temperature has dropped from the pleasant upper seventies of the day to the mid sixties, making Stensland downright unpleasant. “Where are we going?”

“You’ll see,” Clyde says with a soft laugh, used to his boyfriend’s complaining after nearly two years.

“Why are we out here?”

“You’ll see,” he stresses, shaking his head.

He sighs loudly and dramatically. “Why won’t you tell me?”

“Now I know for a fact you know what a surprise is, darlin’.”

“Of course, but I don’t see why a surprise has to include a hike through the woods, in the dark, after a storm. It should not be this cold in June, even with the rain earlier.” While he does not like being in the woods, he can’t deny that he enjoys Clyde going through so much effort to surprise him. No one else in his life, his old life, would have ever considered doing for him what Clyde does without a second thought. It’s one of the many reasons on the list of why he loves him so much. If he didn’t love him, he surely wouldn’t be hiking in the dark.

“Because the surprise comes after the hike,” Clyde stops walking for Stensland to catch up to him, holding his arm out for him to take. “Just trust me, it’s going to be great.”

He takes his arm, fingers brushing the cool metal of his prosthetic, and leans up to press a gentle kiss to his cheek. “Alright, fine, but know I’m only agreeing to this because you’re carrying the basket.” He grins when Clyde laughs. “That and your sister stole my car.”

“‘S’alright. It’ll be home when we get back,” he tells him and Strensland can hear the smile in his voice.

“It better be. And it better not have any more than ten new miles on it.”

“Darlin’, no offense, but Mellie definitely would not wanna drive your car for anymore than that,” he says as they keep walking, taking the last bit of the trek side by side.

He laughs with a slight nod. “I don’t want to drive it more than that, either.”

“Then why are you complaining that I picked you up from work?” he asks.

“It was just a surprise, that’s all.”

Clyde rolls his eyes at him. “No matter what you say, I know how much you love surprises and you’re going to love this. I even brought you extra clothes so your nice work pants don’t get dirty.”

He smiles softly, glancing down at his feet. How thoughtful Clyde could be is another reason on the list.

No matter how much he complains, he really does enjoy what he has done for him. Seeing him after work never failed to brighten his day and it was even better that he had seen him fifteen minutes early. They also enjoyed a long drive together and it was the most they had seen each other all week since they worked opposite shifts. He may complain, but the hike is worth it because Clyde is at his side.

“Are we at least almost there? ‘Cause if not, I’m going to need to sit. I’m not used to walking this far completely uphill.”

“Yep, ‘bout five minutes.”

Stensland nods and extends his arm to hold the flashlight better, allowing them to see further ahead. “And you’re sure there’s no bears out here, right?”

“No one’s seen one out here in years,” Clyde tells him with a soft laugh. “Don’t worry, we are perfectly safe.”

“I’m going to hold you to that, but, just so you know, if we see a bear, I can probably outrun you,” he says playfully.

“We are not going to see a bear, but if you ever see one, don’t run. You won’t be able to outrun a bear, and that’ll just spook ‘im more,” he tells him seriously. He knows Stensland knows absolutely nothing about living anywhere near the woods.

Stensland frowns briefly and his eyes narrow but then he laughs a little. “Okay, but I wasn’t planning on outrunning the bear, just you.”

Clyde laughs again and Stensland beams. He loves how easily he seems to make Clyde laugh and never once has he felt like Clyde is laughing at him. He gives his arm a little squeeze and gets nudged back. Even in the dark, he knows Clyde is smiling and, although they are walking through the woods at night, and the temperature is probably now in the fifties, he’s never been happier. After two years, Clyde still gives him butterflies.

They walk for a few more minutes, Stensland still holding his arm but now with a spring in his step. As they walk, the forest around them starts to get lighter as the canopy thins, letting in more moonlight. Although it stormed on the drive, the clouds parted to reveal the full moon.

The rest of the walk is spent with Stensland talking about his day at work, but the moment they exit the treeline, Stensland gasps. He even loses his words.

The forest opens into a large clearing at the top of the hill, nothing in front of them except open space and a dark view of the rolling hills. The moonlight is so bright that Stensland is confident enough to turn off the flashlight and let the stars and moon accompany them. He looks up, the clouds blocking around half of the stars, but what he can see of the Milky Way takes his breath away. He hasn’t, and probably never will, get used to the rural part of Boone County.

There’s suddenly a soft kiss to his temple before Clyde’s pulls away, walking out to the edge of the cliff, around the center of the clearing before setting the picnic basket down. He opens it, then glances back at Stensland. “Wanna help me with this, darlin’?”

He smiles and bounds over to him, helping him grab the blanket; together, they lay it out on the damp grass. Once the blanket is settled, he looks around again. “This is beautiful, Clyde. Like, really, _really_ , beautiful. I didn’t expect something like this when we were in those woods and it was so dark and kinda spooky.”

“I’m glad ya like it. I’m sorry it’s wet. I woulda rescheduled, but I don’t think I could get away with having my shift covered at the bar for a Saturday night,” he tells him, getting a few tupperware containers out of the basket before kneeling down on the blanket.

“It’s perfect, wet or not.” Stensland grins, sitting down on the blanket only a couple inches from him, crossing his legs. “It is a little chilly, though. You may have to warm me up.”

Clyde laughs and leans over to kiss his cheek, his facial hair tickling his skin. “Behave yourself.”

“Never,” he says, then peers at the four containers Clyde set out. “Whatcha got here?”

“Open ‘em up and find out for yourself.”

Stensland grins at the promise of food, his stomach growling despite not being hungry only minutes before.

Stensland takes the largest container first and pulls the lid off with a loud pop. In it sits a little cake with something on it in writing. In the dark, he can’t quite make it out and he goes to grab his flashlight which rests against his legs but, before he can get a better look, Clyde snatches the bowl from his hand. “Hey!”

“Not that one. That’s for dessert,” Clyde tells him, his cheeks heating up. He’s glad it’s dark.

“What if I wanna have dessert first?”

Clyde can’t miss the innuendo, not with Stensland, and he rolls his eyes. “Didn’t I just tell you to behave?”

Instead of answering, Stensland kisses his cheek before going to grab the next container. This one’s warm and he almost wants to cuddle it instead of open it. His curiosity won’t allow that, so he lifts the lid. There’s a couple pieces of fried chicken sitting inside and he nearly groans in delight. He wants to dig in right away, but Clyde elbows him so he sets it down and goes for the next bowl.

There’s pasta salad in this one, which is not nearly as tempting as the fried chicken, so he sets it down and goes for the last one. It has a bunch of cut-up fruit, mainly strawberries, but he can make out watermelon, muskmelon, blueberries, and kiwi there, too: all of his favorites.

He leans over and manages to catch Clyde’s lips in a quick kiss instead of his cheek this time. “Thank you.”

“My pleasure, darlin’. Anything for you.”

The butterflies return and Stensland can’t help but press another kiss to his lips, this one a little slower, but Clyde pulls away much sooner than he’d like.

“Better eat up before it gets cold on ya,” he says. “It’ll warm you up, too.”

“I thought that was your job,” Stensland teases but reaches greedily for one of the pieces of chicken, a drumstick, and then tears into it with his teeth.

This time, his groan can’t be contained and Clyde laughs as he settles at his side then puts an arm around his waist. He immediately leans into his strong body, thankful for his warmth and just the feeling of the man he loves at his side.

He eats ravenously, cleaning the bone of any chicken before realizing that Clyde hasn’t touched a thing. As he chews his last bite, he sets the bone back in the container, then swallows and asks, “Aren’t you eating?”

“Nah, Jimmy and Sadie came ‘round for dinner. This is all yours.” He kisses his forehead. “I know you skip breaks cause you’re saving up for a new car, so I figured you’d be hungry.”

There’s that thoughtfulness again that reminds Stensland how lucky he is. Not that he’d ever really forget when every morning he wakes up next to Clyde and thinks about how a blown tire on the side of the road led him to the greatest man he’s ever met. He leans against him with his head on his shoulder, smiling. “Thank you. Again. I still can’t believe how lucky I am and how sweet you are for doing this for me, even though you didn’t have to. You also took the night off work for me and drove me out here and I’m still trying to understand how I deserve-”

Clyde leans over and kisses him to stop his rambling before smiling fondly at him. “You deserve the world, darlin’. I keep telling you that. Now eat up, ‘cause Mellie’ll be furious if any of her chicken goes to waste.”

Stensland smiles at him but doesn’t hesitate, eating another drumstick before digging into the fruit and pasta salad. Neither of them speak for a while as Stensland’s mouth is too full to talk but their heads rest together as he eats and Clyde stares out over the valley, smiling to himself.

When he’s nearly done, he pauses, lifting his head and picking up a slice of strawberry with his fingers then holding it to Clyde’s mouth. “You have to try these. They’re so good.”

Although he’s not overly fond of fruit, preferring carrots or asparagus to strawberries, he indulges Stensland and willingly parts his lips. Stensland grins and pops the berry into his mouth but before he can pull his hand away, Clyde catches his wrist. He chews, then, without a word, licks the remainder of the juices from his fingers. He hears Stensland’s breath catch and he smirks.

“You were right. Delicious.”

“You tease,” he breathes out shakily. “Weren’t you just telling me to behave?”

Clyde releases his hand, then says, like he did nothing, “I was just talking about the strawberry, darlin’.”

He whines and moves to press his face into his neck, nudging his jaw. “You were not.”

“Are you accusing me of something here?” he asks playfully, his real hand reaching over to slide over the bare skin of his arm and Stensland shivers from something other than the chill in the air. “I assure you, my intentions are strictly honorable.”

Stensland suddenly lifts his head. “Mine aren’t.”

Before Clyde can speak, Stensland’s warm but dry lips are pressing against his own and he groans into the kiss. He immediately kisses back and draws him in closer. His eyes close, but his lips part for the fiery redhead who’s kissing him like his life depends on it.

Stensland’s tongue slides into his mouth and they both moan as their tongues slide together, intertwining then exploring as if they don’t already know the layout of the other’s mouth. His arms are suddenly around his neck and both of Clyde’s hands wind up at his waist before somehow Stensland is sitting in his lap. The rest of his food lay forgotten on the blanket as he would much rather taste Clyde than any piece of fruit.

They kiss heatedly and Stensland moans freely, rubbing up against him. Clyde’s hands slide down to his hips and he holds him tight, drawing him closer with every roll of his hips. It’s all he can do not to moan just as much as Stensland.

When he finally can’t breathe, Stensland pulls back. He breathes heavily and Clyde nearly pants as he gazes up at him. One of Stensland’s hands slide along his jaw as the other slides slowly down the front of his chest. His thumb brushes against his bottom lip and this time it’s Clyde’s turn for his breath to hitch.

Stensland presses closer, wiggling his hips a little. “Either there’s something in your pocket or you’re excited to see me.”

The reason he brought Stensland up here suddenly comes flooding back and he realizes his hand is awfully close to his pocket so he quickly grabs his wrist, just before he manages to touch him. Stensland frowns.

“I guess that gives me my answer.”

He sounds awfully disappointed so Clyde quickly leans up and presses his mouth to his in a soft kiss. “Can’t it be both?”

That draws a smile from him and he nods. “Yes, I suppose it can.”

“There’s time for me to show you just how happy I am to see you, but you should finish eating,” he tells him, nuzzling his cheek but glancing over to where he set the cake.

“I was pretty much done.” His hand gently trails over his cheek.

“Dessert?” He reminds him, smiling.

Stensland’s eyes immediately light up and he grins when he remembers. Kissing Clyde had distracted him from his cake. He pecks his lips before climbing off of his lap and settling back on the blanket next to him. He starts making grabbing motions with his hands. “Gimme, gimme, gimme!”

Clyde laughs and presses a kiss to his cheek before pressing the cake into his hands.

“What kind is it?”

“Guess.”

“It better be strawberry or else you’re going to have to eat it.” It’s a joke but he flinches slightly at his own words. He knows he should be more grateful than that and he opens his mouth to apologize but Clyde just laughs again.

“Of course it’s strawberry, darlin’.”

Stensland squeals with happiness and he looks down at the cake in his hands, grinning until he sees the words again. He immediately looks around for his flashlight.

Somehow it wound up towards the edge of the blanket and he assumes he kicked it away when he got on Clyde’s lap. He sets the cake safely down on the blanket before crawling over to where the flashlight is, grabbing it then returning to his spot. He sits with his legs crossed and sets the cake in his lap before he flicks the flashlight on. What he doesn’t notice is Clyde watching him, carefully getting onto his knees and taking something from his pocket.

He trains the beam of light onto the cake, looking over the little piped roses and the pink icing before reading the words out loud but slightly under his breath. _“Stens, will you…”_

“Will I?” He repeats out loud, frowning slightly with his brow furrowed. “Will I what?” He looks to Clyde for answers then gasps, dropping the flashlight.

Clyde is next to him, on one knee with a ring box held out in his good hand. “Will you do me the honor of marrying me?”

There are immediately tears in Stensland’s eyes and his hands go up to cover his mouth. Before he can even say anything, the tears start to spill over and he’s crying so hard he can’t even speak. He quickly moves the cake before getting to his knees and throwing himself at Clyde. The ring box snaps shut and Clyde’s arms immediately go around his waist. Stensland sobs as he presses his face into his neck.

Clyde holds him tightly but he’s so confused. He knows Stensland tends to cry a lot, but he never thought he would propose and Stensland would be sobbing in his arms. He gives him a minute then carefully, tenderly, pushes him back.

“Darlin’, this is usually when you’re supposed to give me an answer.”

He starts nodding, still hysterical. “Yes. Yes, Clyde, I’ll marry you.”

A bright grin spreads over Clyde’s face and he opens the box again, carefully taking the ring out before taking Stensland's hand in his prosthetic one. He slides the ring slowly onto his finger and another sob leaves Stensland when it rests perfectly below his second knuckle. Once the ring is on, he drops the box, then reaches up to wipe his tears, his hands staying on either side of his face.

He leans in and presses a soft, brief kiss to his lips, able to taste his tears. “Now, you gotta tell me why you’re crying.”

“I’m just so happy. I never thought anyone would love me, but you do. You love me and you hold my hand, and you watch dozens of episodes of _Dawson’s Creek_ with me, and never make fun of me when I cry. You make me breakfast in the morning even when you work late at the bar and you always kiss me when you come home no matter whether you’ve just gone to the store or have been at work all night. You look at me like I matter and you treat me like… like I’m actually worth something, and, until you came into my life, I hadn’t been worth something to anyone since my mam died.”

Stenslands pauses, takes a deep breath and sniffs before continuing, not letting Clyde get a word in. “You don’t care that my favorite color is pink and that I put strawberry milk in my cereal instead of normal milk. You don’t yell at me when I forget to do the dishes or put the laundry away. You don’t yell at me at all. You gave me a place to stay when I had given up on everything. You love me, Clyde. You love me and I had long given up hope of finding someone who could.”

His rambling confession nearly brings tears to Clyde’s eyes and his thumbs brush over his cheeks again. Stensland sniffs then brings his hands up to cover Clyde’s, gazing up at him when Clyde leans in and softly kisses his forehead.

“I’d given up too,” he starts softly. He’s never been good at telling people how he feels, but he’s learned to try when it comes to Stensland. “When I got back from Iraq, all the people ‘round here started looking at me funny. I only had Mellie and Jimmy and sometimes, they’d walk on their tip-toes around me, still do, on occasion, but you never did. You never treated me any different than anyone else. It was easy to fall in love with you. I don’t know how nobody before me ever did, but I’m glad. I’m glad they didn’t ‘cause you wouldn’t be here with me otherwise. And there’s nothing I’d give you up for.”

“Not even when I leave dirty clothes around the house, or forget to change the toilet paper roll, or drink too much?” he asks, sniffling, but no longer crying nearly as heavily.

“Nope, never,” Clyde assures him. “I wouldn’t have asked ya to marry me if I wasn’t willing to put up with a dirty sock here and there.”

He laughs but the noise still sounds a little too much like a sob. “What about the crying? Surely you can’t stand that.”

“Darlin’, you listen to me. Sure there are habits you have that are strange and I’m never gonna be completely used to them, but if you think anything’s gonna change how much I love you, then you just have yourself fooled. That ring is my promise to love you forever, no matter what, you understand me? The only reason I would ever care that you’re crying is ‘cause I never want you to be sad.” He leans in, kisses his nose; this time, Stensland really laughs.

“I love you so much, Clyde, I don’t know how I ever got so lucky,” he says softly, smiling even as he sniffs again.

“I love you too, darlin’,” he whispers before kissing his forehead. “And, just so you know, I’m pretty sure _I’m_ the lucky one here.”

Stensland shakes his head, curling his fingers around Clyde’s hands and pulling them down from his face. His eyes follow their hands as Clyde’s fingers curl around his in return and he smiles widely, looking back up at him. “No. We both are.”

They smile at one another, overjoyed that they each finally found someone willing to hold their hand.


End file.
